Beltway Spin Podcasts

Monday, June 20, 2011

What's With DC Democrats?

David Axelrod, a former White House Senior Aide to President Obama, appeared in an interview with Candy Crowley of CNN yesterday. He discussed issues like the US economy and the upcoming 2012 presidential elections. After watching this interview yesterday morning, a question sprang to mind. Why do DC Democrats seem to have such difficulty leading on issues even when the majority of the nation supports what they say they support? Why is that in the state of Wisconsin just fourteen state Democratic elected officials could capture the hearts and minds of so many working class Americans across the nation by standing clearly with American workers and not cow towing to GOP narratives the way that frequently happens to DC Democrats?

It seems in DC the conventional wisdom is that Democrats must always compromise. At least that's the corporate media meme but notice that seems to not apply when the GOP are at the helm of the controls.

In my opinion the GOP won back the House of Representatives because the campaigned on JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. Since the November 2010 elections, the Republican Party in DC and state wide have massively "over-reached" and misread their mandate which is/was to create jobs. Their mandate was not to reduce collective bargaining rights for state workers, eliminate abortion rights, or anything else. It was jobs stupid. In state after state (examples: Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Florida), the Governors and state legislatures have misread why they were elected in the first place. They have championed anti-worker agendas of attacking worker rights, cutting jobs, and cutting safety net programs in the name of "We're broke" but have at the very same time found millions to give to millionaires/billionaires in tax reductions and corporate give aways. Then comes US Wisconsin Rep Paul Ryan's plan to effectively end Medicare for those aged 55 and under and yet DC Democrats seem incapable of taking advantage of any of this and turning the peoples' populist rage that is brewing state-wide against the GOP. Why?

Listen to this interview David Axelrod gave to CNN and you will see why. If President Obama and the DC Democrats hope to gain election victories in 2012, they should ignore the majority of what Axelrod and advisers like him have to say. Job creation is number 1 on Americans' minds, not deficits or cutting programs like Medicare.

What are the facts?

Beltway Spin Of The Day

Subject: President Obama's three-year gradual withdrawal plan for troops from the Afghanistan War. Some in the media apparently believe that a three-year gradual withdrawal through 2014 is just too fast a withdrawal. Here are a few examples of this meme.

"Why didn't Obama listen to Patraeus?"-CNN-David Gergen; "Since the President is rushing the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan"-Good Morning America-George Stephanoupolis.

Political Shout Of The Day

Subject:Minnesota Governor, Mark Dayton, is ready to end the state shutdown. The state government was shutdown two weeks ago when the Democractic Governor and the GOP lead state legislator could not reach a budget agreement. Dayton moved to end the shutdown today by accepting the GOP proposal that would delay school funding and borrow against future revenues to close its $1.4 billion dollar budget shortfall. In exchange, the GOP legislature must drop demand to cut 15% of the Minnesota state work-force.

"Minnesota residents should start the process of recalling the Republicans who are willing to shut down the government to still give more to the wealthiest Americans."

"Republicans have gone completely nuts snce President Obama took office why is that?"